Malappuram’s Kunjeerumma, The World’s Oldest Person Dies At The Age Of 121

At the age of 121, great grandma from Vallenchery, the oldest in the world, Kunjeerumma died on Saturday. Kunjeerumma had earlier surpassed Spain’s 116-year-old Maria Branyas who is listed as the world’s oldest person in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Kunjeerumma turned 120 last June as per Aadhar card details. She was born on June 2, 1903. Remarkably, Kunjeerumma could communicate with others much like anyone else. In the Kalamban house, Pookattiri near Valanchery, the oldest person full of spirits which has not faded even after a century has now become a memory ever to be cherished. 

The oldest grandma though did not suffer from any kind of health issues but had to rely on a wheel wheelchair to move around since a fall at the age of 115. In an interview with The Indian Express, Kunjeerumma said this when asked about having a healthy physique, “I usually have kanji (rice porridge). When someone offers biryani, I eat a very small quantity to make those who offer it happy”. 

Kunjeerumma was married to Saidali at the age of 17. She was only able to receive religious education from Madrassa.

“I did not have the chance to attend school. Now, at this age I do not possess the ability to learn,” she had said. 

Blessed with 13 children, Kunjeerumma has witnessed five generations of her descendants. Reminiscing about her younger years, she used to recollect the moments of her young age and shared them with her children. 

“She used to tell us that she was scared of hearing gunshots from nearby areas during the 1921 Malabar Rebellion. She was grazing goats in the fields near her house. She also once recounted how her grandfather was captured by the British soldiers during the Khilafat Movement and released after four months,” Mohammad, Kunjeerumma’s youngest son recollected.